The Florida senator, who is a likely frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, will travel Saturday to Jordan and then on to Israel in an official capacity as a member of the Senate Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee.

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In a post on his website, Rubio says he will meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah and Israel’s President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. He will also meet with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad.

He says discussions throughout the week-long trip will include “various areas of mutual interest” including the Middle East peace process, the Syrian civil war and the ongoing security situation in Egypt.

It will be Rubio’s second trip to Israel and first to Jordan, and will bolster the senator’s foreign policy credentials should he choose to seek higher office. Rubio traveled to Israel in 2010 following his Florida senate race victory.

President Barack Obama is scheduled to make his first visit as president to Israel in March. His schedule while in the country has not been finalized, although Israel has submitted a proposed itinerary to the White House.

In his statement, Rubio said: “America’s friendship with Israel is a truly special one, and we must continue to do all we can to support this beacon of democracy, religious freedom and free enterprise in the heart of an unstable region.

“As Iran continues its pursuit of a nuclear weapon, we must continue to apply pressure through every possible means in order to prevent a nuclear Iran.”

Rubio will be accompanied by his wife Jeanette, and is scheduled to return to Miami Friday.